Hey folks,

I'm in MA. I've got an old field stone basement and I'm having closed cell spray foam sprayed on the walls as part of my basement finishing project. It's a 1910 home and the stairs to the basement are currently right against the foundation wall and are 30"-32" wide (it varies because it literally wraps the rocks of the wall).

If I spray the foam I'm gonna lose 2"-3" of the stair case width and if I want to dry wall it the problem gets worse. Unfortunately the stairs can't be widened.

Personally, I'd be fine with the width, but I know code wants 36" (if I were to remove them and want to put them back up). I think if I don't touch them I'd be grandfathered in?

So, what do people do in these old homes when dealing with these projects and their stairs? Do they keep the stairs as is and spray around them to avoid code issues? I hear doing that could rot the stairs and the gap in insulation would be self defeating. Is this true? If so, do most inspectors cover their eyes in regards to the stairs?

Thanks

put at least 1" CCSF on the adjacent wall, and install a heavy poly vapor barrier over it - that will help keep the moisture at bay. the BI shouldn't have an issue since it is a preexisting condition.

On a DER on an 1890 vintage place Worcester I was involved with the stairs were foamed-in-place. (They weren't quite as narrow as yours though.) I'm not sure if MA code actually requires updating the width even if you ripped them out and re-strung them- it may vary by local jurisdiction.

A few years ago I re-worked original stairs between my first & second floor in my 1920s house which were out of code on several aspects. It still isn't quite up to current code, but to be fully compliant would have required raising the roof and moving a load bearing wall. It's the step depth & lifts are now compliant, and the head clearance is better, but still not there, nor is the width, but it's a much safer staircase than the "before" picture.

Bottom line, ask the local inspector what they think is the right way to proceed, but you're probably grandfathered in or would be granted a waiver so long as they could be improved safety-wise in some aspect or another.

Very cool. So it sounds like both of you agree that I could leave the treads and stringer right against the foundation wall and just spray over and around them, and I shouldn't have to worry about rot issues? I think going that route helps me make the argument that I'm grandfathered with the current width since I wouldn't be removing them.

But yeah, as Dana1 said I need to talk to the inspector. Just getting ideas and my facts straight before I do.

Thanks

if the stringer is against the rock and you can't get foam or a VB behind it, then yes, you might have rot in the future. Better to remove & replace it. That said, it may yet last for years as is.

Posted By Bob I on 07 Aug 2013 11:13 AM
if the stringer is against the rock and you can't get foam or a VB behind it, then yes, you might have rot in the future. Better to remove & replace it. That said, it may yet last for years as is.

Hmmm...Well they're already not in the best shape. So, I guess that'll be something to bring up with the inspector then. If I have no choice I'll risk the rot. But preference would be to handle it properly now.

Thanks!

I can't imagine the BI would have an issue with replacing the old stairs in kind, but its always better to talk it through with them first. And doing it now allows you to do a thorough job of insulating.

Crossing my fingers...It would resolve so many issues for me.